The Hollow Heart

In three attempts at in-vitro fertilization Martina Devlin lost nine embryos. Or nine 'maybe babies' as she thought of them. But she also lost her marriage and her dreams of being a mother.

The Hollow Heart is the story of Martina's journey from early bewilderment at being diagnosed as infertile, through the traumatic and demanding process of IVF, to the shattering fall-out when it failed. And she realized that not only would she never have children, but that somewhere along the way her relationship with her husband had been damaged beyond repair.

But Martina also describes how her despair eventually faded. How she made a new life for herself. And how she learned to take pleasure in her extended family of nieces and nephews. Most of all, The Hollow Heart is the story of a woman learning to do as her mother always advised - to count her blessings.

About the Author

Martina Devlin is an Irish author and journalist. Her eight books range from best-selling historical novels - The House Where It Happened and Ship of Dreams - to non-fiction including Banksters and The Hollow Heart. She writes a weekly current affairs column for the Irish Independent and has been named columnist of the year by the National Newspapers of Ireland. Short story awards include the Royal Society of Literature's VS Pritchett Prize and a Hennessy Literary Award, and she has been shortlisted twice for the Irish Book Awards.

Hardback Editions

November 2006 : UK Hardback

Title: The Hollow Heart: The True Story of How One Woman's Desire to Have a Baby Almost Destroyed Her Life (Ulverscroft Large Print)Author(s): Martina DevlinISBN: 1-84617-513-5 / 978-1-84617-513-8 (UK edition)Publisher: Ulverscroft Large Print Books LtdAvailability: AmazonAmazon UKAmazon CA

Paperback Editions

June 2006 : UK Paperback

Title: The Hollow Heart: The True Story of How One Woman's Desire to Have a Baby Almost Destroyed Her LifeAuthor(s): Martina DevlinISBN: 1-84488-060-5 / 978-1-84488-060-7 (UK edition)Publisher: Penguin Books LtdAvailability: AmazonAmazon UKAmazon CA

September 2005 : UK Paperback

Title: The Hollow Heart: The True Story of One Woman's Desire to Give Life and How it Almost Destroyed Her OwnAuthor(s): Martina DevlinISBN: 1-84488-059-1 / 978-1-84488-059-1 (UK edition)Publisher: Penguin Books LtdAvailability: AmazonAmazon UKAmazon CA

Kindle Editions

October 2014 : USA, Canada, UK Kindle edition

Title: The Hollow Heart: The true story of one woman's desire to give life and how it almost destroyed her ownAuthor(s): Martina DevlinPublisher: eBookPartnership.comAvailability: AmazonAmazon UKAmazon CA